The research group TIDOP develops a software tool, named Revela-Duero, with the aim of controlling the water used for irrigation purposes in the Douro Basin Confederation, inside the framework of the National Project “Implementation of a system for detecting irrigated areas and crop types along the Douro Basin by analyzing remote sensing scenes”.

This National Project, encouraged by the Douro Basin Confederation, is carried out by the University of Salamanca, represented by its research group TIDOP from the High Polytechnic School of Ávila, in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

The tool, named as Revela Duero, has been developed as an open source that allows to accurately control the use of the water resources in the widest Spanish basin from the space, using the satellites. Both Landsat 8, from NASA, and Sentinel 2, from ESA, are used, but mainly S2 regarding to its higher spatial and temporal resolution, of 10 m over Landsat’s 30 m and every 5 days since the Sentinel 2-B launch on March 7th.

Thereby, this software tool will allow both saving water and fulfilling the monitoring tasks of the fluvial guards, detecting the unauthorized irrigated areas from the data provided by the satellites images, cartographic information compiled by the SIGPAC and several information supplied by the basin organism, fluvial guards and declarations given by the irrigation users. Moreover, it will estimate the water volume consumed and crop type by using the progression of the NDVI curve, which is the normalized difference vegetation index.

The research unit TIDOP evaluates new solutions for the 4D digitalization of cultural heritage inside the framework of the European project CTH-2

Cultural Heritage Through Time (CTH2) is an international research project leader by the Polytechnic of Milan, where different named universities, among which highlights the University of Salamanca (represented by the research unit TIDOP of the High Polytechnic School of Avila), attempt to develop new methodologies for the digitalization and valorisation of our cultural heritage. Inside the framework of this project, the research unit TIDOP will be focused on the development of a digilitalization methodology able to evaluate the cultural heritage through time. Approach that was applied to one of the emblematic elements that compose one of the most important Spanish constructions: the medieval wall of Avila. The chosen element was the Alcazar gate, where de PhD Belén Jimenez Fernández-Palacios focused part of her PhD Dissertation, entitled: “Planning, Surveying, Modelling and Visualization Techniques in the Field of Cultural Heritage”.

During her investigations, Jimenez deals with the three critical factors for the digitilization of heritage: (i) automation of processes; (ii) generation of dense 3D models of high geometric and radiometric quality and; (iii) the use of low-cost devices. Proposing a methodology able to blend data form different sources (aerial photogrammetry, mobile mapping system and terrestrial laser scanner) in a unique and optimized 3D model. Model which later was used to insert useful information in order to understand the history of the construction as well as to serve as a base for subsequent restoration and dissemination actions.

According to the latest consolidated statistics of the National Department of Traffic, 83.115 accidents with victims (deceased, seriously and slightly injured) were registered in the last year. These figures show the volume of interventions, specifically the number of police statement that the State Security Forces perform.

At present, the reconstruction of traffic accidents is carried out based on in situ measurements by the Security Forces and subsequently, when the car has been evicted, by the consulting companies hired by those affected. This process is quite ineffective (requiring road cuts and the access of the agents involves), adds many errors as well as a rather subjective component to the data capture process due to the standardized forms and questions used. In addition, nothing can be corrected once the car has been evicted from the scene. After the data collection and documentation of the accident, the Security Forces generate a report with the geometric data so that the corresponding legal processes can continue.

The CRASHMAP Project, developed by the TIDOP Research Group of the University of Salamanca, establishes a system of 3D reconstruction and analysis of accidents in urban and interurban areas that allows the Security Forces (Local Police and Civil Guard) to support expert reports with accurate and objective data. Thus, the deformation of the vehicle as well as their impact speed are quantified and stored.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Software that allows the 3D reconstruction of traffic accident scenes with metric properties as well as the calculation of the basic parameters associated to these kind of accidents (distances, angles, speeds, paths, etc.).

CRASHMAP consists of:

A software (client) that allows: to perform the data collection by images taken with a mobile phone and following a simple protocol (https://vimeo.com/127157351), to upload the images to the cloud, to download the resulting 3D models and to perform the metric and energetic analysis of the accident (impact speeds against vehicles, fixed elements or people)

A software (server) located in the cloud that allows the calculation of the smart 3D models remotely. This software has the required algorithms to transform 2D data (images) into 3D data (crashmap).

The software has been used successfully by the Local Police of Salamanca for 2 years and some of the results have already been presented to the Justice Administration as part of the expert reports.

Susana Del Pozo Aguilera, engineer of the TIDOP Research Group, awarded by the International Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage for the best International thesis of 2016

The doctoral thesis entitled Multispectral imaging for the analysis of materials and pathologies in civil engineering, constructions and natural spaces defended by Susana Del Pozo Aguilera has just received the CIPA award 2016 for the best international thesis of 2016 that combines Geomatics and Cultural Heritage (http://cipa.icomos.org/2017/02/19/thesis_awards_winners/). The promoter of this award recognition is the International Scientific Committee for Heritage Documentation (CIPA).

The researcher defended her thesis, directed by Dr. Diego González-Aguilera (University of Salamanca) and Dr. Pablo Rodríguez-Gonzálvez (University of León), on April 22, 2016. Her works include studies on health status and water deficit in crops, the discrimination between different rocks and minerals in rock massifs, and evaluations of the degradation state of building materials (mainly produced by moisture).

Currently, she is an active member of the TIDOP Research Group at the University of Salamanca where she continues her research work linked to the thesis as well as she collaborate in the development of several national and international research projects.

Tecnology

The technology behind these studies is included within close-range remote sensing. Thanks to the combined use of different sensors that capture information from surfaces, not only in the visible but also in the infrared spectral range, it is possible to draw conclusions about their “healthy” state.

Among the equipment used by Del Pozo are conventional digital cameras, multispectral cameras and some terrestrial laser scanners. These geotechnologies allow to capture information of objects at a certain distance from them so that no contact with their surface is established. These remote and non-invasive technologies are consolidated as an ideal tool to study protected or inaccessible elements such as natural reserves or cultural heritage assets among others.

In addition, the final products and results are very useful to perform rehabilitation process of historical buildings, infrastructure improvements and even qualitative and quantitative analysis of natural resources.

The use of infrared thermography as a widely tested technique for building inspection and location of pathologies such as air leakage and moisture allows the performance of quality “in-situ” visual examination of the objects under study due to the possibility of obtaining real-time results, being able to detect without difficulty damages or material characteristics. This qualitative measurement technique provides the capability of doing quick, effective and non-destructive inspection without direct contact with the object under study, decreasing the risk of incidents to operators and the damage of the objects comparing with other intrusive techniques. Furthermore, the utility of infrared thermography as a measurement technique has been proved by its use for the determination of the thermophysical properties of materials such as diffusivity and thermal transmittance.

In the qualitative approach, some authors have performed in-situ studies, mainly in historical buildings or cultural heritage elements, whereas quantitative studies are performed mainly in laboratories with limited size samples. In those cases where quantitative thermography studies were performed in-situ, temperature values were employed in order to obtain the real thermophysical properties (thermal conductance) of the building envelope, but their spatial distribution is not considered.

Combine both applications will enable the automation of the heat loss computation from the measured temperatures with a thermographic camera. Thus, the thermography is not only used to represent the state of the wall, but also temperature values represented on the thermography for extracting the metric parameters of the study object so the hybridization of the thermographic information with precise cartographic material would allow to extract the actual geometry of the object of study with thermal texture, being able to make accurate measurements of the elements of interest directly on the obtained results.

Studies such as the one published by EuroACE in 2010, places improved energy efficiency in building construction at the top of the list of actions that need to be taken to reduce greenhouse gases and energy costs, in addition to acting as a stimulus to generate employment. In particular is the case of existing buildings stock, most of which dates back to the period 1940-80, constructed using non-existent standards and scarce resources. Here, energy refurbishment works could represent a saving of up to 75% in energy consumption. In Spain there are 13 million homes that could be the subject of intervention, where energy refurbishment could result in a reduction in sector emissions of 34% compared to 2001.

In urbanized Western Europe trees are considered an important component of the built-up environment. This also means that there is an increasing demand for tree inventories. Laser mobile mapping systems provide an efficient and accurate way to sample the 3D road surrounding including notable roadside trees. In this research line, a processing chain aiming at the extraction of tree locations and tree sizes from laser mobile mapping data is reached.

Vegetation extraction

Tree parameter extraction

Such steps, in combination with code optimization are expected to be sufficient to reach the final goal of automatized estimation of features sampled by mobile mapping at a rate that matches the acquisition speed and at a quality that matches the result of a human operator.

An Archaeology graduate having studied in the Complutense University of Madrid, he is currently finishing his Master’s degree in Quaternary Archaeology and Human Evolution in the University Rovira I Virgili, Tarragona. Starting next academic year, he intends to continue his professional career by enrolling in a Doctoral programme in prehistory. Specialised in the field of taphonomy, he works primarily on the microscopic study of osteological materials found in archaeological and paleontological sites. His main field of research lies in the development of new methods for the study of Lower Pleistocene sites in Africa. Over the last couple of years, he has focused his research on the adaptation of new statistical advances from other fields of research, such as Artificial Intelligence, with the hope of finding new means of applying these techniques to the prehistoric fossil register. Through this line of research, he has achieved the development of Machine and Deep Learning algorithms for the processing of 3D data. His most notable advances have included the development of Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines for the differentiation of carnivore activity through the tooth marks animals may leave on bone. He has also achieved models that are able to successfully classify microscopic traces, discerning between natural agents and those produced by ancient hominids in prehistoric butchery practices.

Research lines:

Taphonomy and zooarchaeology applied to the Lower Pleistocene

Development of new methodological approaches for the study of fossil remains

Design and application of new statistical models for archaeological studies, including 3D modelling for the documentation of bone, and the use of Artificial Intelligence algorithms for the processing of this data

Land drones applied to three-dimensional modeling and control of complex industrial environments

Land drones can be armed with different devices such as terrestrial laser scanner, obstacle detectors or remote control systems, in order to provide accurate 3D models of unattended or critical environments in a safe way.

Environments like narrow caves that are difficult to access, electrical substations where there are risk of electric shock, boiler rooms or buildings with structural problems are considered critical environments for human operators due to the danger they entail.

Despite being critical spaces, its maintenance, inspection and control are essential to prevent damages and detect breakdowns, so accurate three-dimensional models are indispensable. For this purpose, terrestrial drones allow the integration of terrestrial laser scanners to capture the environment, as well as obstacle detectors and different communication systems, so that they can be autonomous vehicles or remote-controlled vehicles.

Depending on the accuracy needed and the dimensions of the study case, two different combinations of technologies have been explored, both combining laser scanner with land drones.

To complete this research line, we are working in different methodologies to combine 3D models obtained with land drones and data obtained with aerial drones equipped with conventional cameras or thermo graphic cameras.

Mix both kind of models make the three-dimensional model much more complete and it is possible to detect pathologies in almost everywhere. Some of this process has been used with success in electrical substations and photovoltaic solar plants, detecting, for example, anomalies in some panels.

Titled the first of his promotion as Senior Technician in Telecommunications and Computer Systems in 2018 by the IES Vasco de la Zarza. He obtained the Cisco degree “CCNA Routing and Switching” with a letter of recommendation from the Cisco CEO thanks to his skills and knowledge shown in the field of computer networks with Cisco equipment. Currently he is studying a Superior Degree Formative Cycle in Multiplatform Applications Development at the IES Alonso de Madrigal, focusing on the programming and development of computer applications.